Different types of appliances of different brands are generally found in a typical home. Many appliances, such as various air conditioners, televisions, set-top boxes, AV receivers, media streamers, disc players and the like, may be operated by a remote control via infrared (IR), Wi-Fi or the like.
The IR operated appliances may only be operated from a short range while more modern appliances may be equipped with internet connectivity, and if the appliance vendor owns a private cloud connecting all its purchased appliances, each appliance may be accessed from that cloud and may be operated (and possibly serviced) from afar.